Friday, February 4, 2011

Does my make up look good?

Dear Miss (or Mister) "I always look good with make up",

Don't you just love the 80's? The period that people now look back at in awe of their crazy hair and wild make up and say, "What the hell was I thinking?". Listen up my beautiful readers... STAY AWAY FROM THE MAKE UP IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT! Nothing kills me more than to see beautiful women hiding away their natural beauty under piles of foundation, smudged eyeliner, clumpy mascara, dark lip liner and lipstick on their teeth. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating a bit.
Before you ever decide to use make up you have to really look at yourself and say, "How much do I really need?"



Take care of that face
If your skin is pretty clear, perhaps with only a few slightly noticeable flaws.....
1. Skip the foundation: Just use concealer to cover up the flaws and use a tinted setting powder (matching your skin tone) to set your make up.
2. Instead of using liquid foundation, try mineral foundation: it's light but enough to even up your skin tones and cover up any signs of oiliness. (Recommended mineral foundation: Bare Escentuals. Available at Sephora.)
3. If you want to even out your skin tone using something light and healthy, try using tinted moisturizers. There are several out there so I can't really give you some recommendations, especially since I've never really used any.

Why do this? Make up is not exactly healthy for your skin--- Big surprise! In fact, our face is sensitive considering it's the place where the sun and wind hits the most. Therefore, your face may actually lose it's flawlessness because of make up! It can be prone to breakouts or allergic reactions, especially when you're new to make up. For some, it takes awhile for their skin to adjust to it. Whether it be your face or your eyes.

But if you are blessed with flawed skin such as mine with blemishes, red spots, uneven colors and even acne (heavy sigh) then liquid foundation is a necessity. But I failed to mention something vital. Something everyone must do before applying foundation, concealer and powder. This goes out to even the flawless ladies out there---PREP YOUR FACE!

Always, always, always moisturize and cleanse your face everyday! Especially in the harsh winters here on the East, dry and flaky skin is not happy skin.
-In the mornings, cleanse your face. The weather doesn't just affect you when your outside but also in your own home. Cleansing your face in the morning is not only good for your skin but it's also a good wake up call in the morning (let's hope no one does it to you while your sleeping though!).
-Apply moisturizer before you even think about applying foundation or concealer. Even though you've cleansed your face, moisturizing is still a must. It helps to prevent your face from getting dry or oily. Make sure you use moisturizer SPECIFICALLY for the face and that it has SPF. The sun is here all season long so you're skin still needs extra protection.
-Before you hit the hay, cleanse your face. Yes, cleanse it again. Not only does it ensure that the residue of your make up is gone but it also gives your face some extra loving.
-Scrubs and facials, why not? But unlike moisturizing and cleansing, do not do this everyday. The point of using scrubs is to remove the dead skin from your face. Using it everyday is terribly mean to your skin! So keep it minimal but don't keep it out completely.


Knowing how to apply make up
When I first started using make up, I looked a mess! My biggest errors were using foundations that were either too light or too dark for me. I was incapable of using eyeshadows and eyeliners correctly. It was all a big mess. So how did I go from looking almost clownish to looking fab?

RESEARCH!

I looked at tips in magazines, searched around online and then finally I came across the wonderful world of Youtube. There are dozens of Youtube make up gurus that upload how-to make up video tutorials DAILY! This is where I really learned the basic techniques. Eventually you develop your own techniques that work best for you.

10 Basic Must-Haves
To start off your make up collection, these are a must:
1. Face moisturizer (as mentioned earlier)
2. Concealer (regular concealer/brightener-for under eye)
3. Lip Balm- My favorites would have to be Burt's Bees & Carmex (stick version)
4. Eyeshadow primer-Urban Decay or Two-Faced (Can be found at Sephora) or ELF has one too.
5. Mascara- There are several that I've tried. Later I'll do an in-depth look on drugstore mascaras.
6. Smudge-proof black eyeliner-My favorite would have to be Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes
7. Smudge-proof black Liquid Liner- L'Oreal Linear Intense is by far the best I've ever tried
8. Liquid foundation- There are sooooo many to choose from. Whatever fits best for you.
9. Setting powder (tinted or transparent)-Same comment as above.
10. Neutral Eyeshadow Quad or Palette- Fits every occasion. L'Oreal and Maybelline have some nice quads which are great to start off with.

Make Up Brushes
If I can add one more thing on that list it would probably be make up brushes but I'd say that's already a given. Have at least one eyeshadow brush, foundation brush, blush brush and a large powder brush. Brushes help you control the amount of make up you apply to your face. Without a brush, you are likely to pick up more of the product than you need to which would ultimately give you a "cakey" look. Keep it simple!

Make up can be intimidating and scary but with good practice and basic knowledge, you're on the right track! Remember this...

Make up is an


Don't be afraid to use bold lipsticks or eyeshadow colors. Trust me, it's fun! But of course don't overstep your boundaries either. However, don't ever think you aren't beautiful without make up. Make up is just an accessory to an already outstanding work of art.

With Love,
Shelly

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